Those damned bones again?

"Wot? Again? Damn them sir. Damn them to hell I say".

This certainly didn't look to be the best way to wake Major General Caruthers. Other news might have been preferable. Like "Sir, the next shipment of pink gin has arrived for the officers' mess". Or "Lady Magdellan has arrived to take tea with you". Or even "The newest shipment of Zap guns is being unloaded at the docks Sir.". But not "It's those damned Egyptian wallas and their animated bones again, Sir". And DEFINITELY not "Sir, that bloody flying saucer daemon that nearly did for you last month is buzzing around again."

Mind you, the best option would have been not to wake Caruthers at all. Last night had seen more than his fair share of that supply of pink gin from the officers' mess lubricating Caruthers' larynx. But tact had never been a strength for Corporal Blofeld. So there it was, out in the open - "Sir, that bloody flying saucer daemon that nearly did for you last month is buzzing around again." And there Caruthers was, post gin taste in the back of his throat, foul mood and all.

Caruthers hauled himself off his field cot and reached out his hand for his habitual start of the day cup of tea. Blofeld made sure the handle was facing the right way as he pushed the General's favourite mug into his hand.

Time for more Big Battle HotT action as yet again Caruthers and his Victorian Science Fiction army took on Andy's semi historical Egyptian army, Stargate, flying saucers and all.

The armies face off, Caruthers on the left, Egyptians on the right. Caruthers' mechanical dragon had just arrived (turn 2!!)

The British right facing Egyptian spear and a hero in a chariot

I foolishly put my knights in the centre, supported by an airboat and a couple of flyers

The British right with one of the steam powered behemoths

Egyptian behemoths.. no class!!!

Artillery and magician on the British left, supporting shooters and riders

The Egyptian CnC (aerial hero)supported by two flyers overflew the British centre. Having failed to learn from my last game (I'm a slow learner), I attacked them with the airboat - sigh!!!

British aerial hero attacks the Egyptian left from the rear

Early progress against the Egyptian left

Ahh, now it might get awkward. The Egyptian aerial hero has support and faces off against the airboat - will I never learn?

The British left where both wings effectively faced off, postured, and exchanged the odd bit of magic and artillery fire

On the British right things were happening

The Egyptian behemoths took losses - that's Caruthers himself right there

See what I mean? The flyer supporting the airboat is destroyed, leaving the airboat unsupported - I'm a slow learner

The airboat overflew the Egyptians in its attempts to escape

and ended up here

In an outstanding round of combat (well, an outstanding round of die rolling actually) the remaining two Egyptian behemoths are destroyed

But the British centre is taking casualties

The Egyptian left is demoralised, and has lost its general

But it's getting very awkward for the British in the centre as casualties continue to mount

And the British centre is demoralised too. It disappears, with only the airboat held in place

The British gather together to assault the Egyptian centre

The Dragon is finally engaged on the British left, attacking the rear of the Egyptian troops

The Egyptian left without a general rolls a '1' for its PIPs - not enough to hold the group, and so the entire command flees

The Egyptian aerial hero attacks the airboat

And the airboat is destroyed

However at the end of that turn the Egyptians have lost over 50% of their army strength, and Caruthers claims another victory.

This was another epic struggle, with the balance tipping backwards and forwards throughout the game. Yet again it highlighted everything that is so good about Big Battle HotT. Both sides were noticeably starved of PIPs on numerous occasions, which explains why the British mechanical dragon was so late to the show, having arrived on table in turn 2.

And as for my deployment as the British player? What was I thinking? Anyway, a fantastic spectacle with two great looking armies.